After completing this work, I returned to Tübingen to further pursue my clinical training and research activities. Since 2012, I have combined clinical, academic, and leadership responsibilities, serving as Senior Physician and Research Group Leader at the University Hospitals of Tübingen and Basel, while also holding professorial and Vice-Dean appointments at the University of Basel and the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. I currently serve as Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine II at the Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen. Throughout my career, I have been deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists and clinicians, supervising 5 habilitations, 13 postdoctoral researchers, 11 PhD candidates, 11 medical doctoral theses, 9 master’s students, and 10 clinician scientists.

Co-supervisor’s background – Saskia Rudat
I completed my PhD at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and subsequently pursued postdoctoral research at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK, focusing on identifying vulnerabilities across different types of leukemia, with a particular emphasis on acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In my current role as Scientific Project Manager and Senior Staff Scientist in the Laboratory of Prof. Claudia Lengerke at the University Hospital Tübingen, I coordinate all ongoing research projects, support new grant applications, and pursue my own scientific interests. My research centers on identifying targetable mechanisms to enhance the NKG2DL-mediated immunogenicity of AML cells using CRISPR/Cas9 screens, with the ultimate goal of improving natural killer (NK) cell–based therapies for AML patients.

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We have a particular interest in hematologic malignancies and cellular therapies, aiming to translate research insights into clinical trials using academically manufactured cellular products, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. In addition, we investigate therapy resistance and intratumor heterogeneity, with a focus on stemness and the interactions between tumor subpopulations, immune cells and the microenvironment. We explore mechanisms of immune escape and immune cell dysfunction and develop novel strategies to overcome immune resistance. By combining molecular analysis and functional studies across mouse, zebrafish, and patient-derived xenotransplantation (PDX) models, we aim to translate our findings into meaningful clinical advances.

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